André Derain was a French painter, sculptor, and co-founder of Fauvism alongside Henri Matisse. Born near Paris in Chatou, Derain initially trained in engineering before dedicating himself fully to art after studying with Eugène Carrière and forming close friendships with artists such as Maurice de Vlaminck and Matisse. His bold, vividly colored landscapes exhibited at the 1905 Salon d’Automne helped launch Fauvism and earned the group the nickname “les Fauves,” or “wild beasts.”
Derain became especially renowned for his striking series of London paintings, which transformed the city’s bridges and river scenes into dynamic compositions of intense color and light. By the 1910s, however, his style evolved toward a more restrained and classical approach influenced by Paul Cézanne and the Old Masters. Throughout his career, Derain experimented with painting, sculpture, illustration, and stage design, becoming one of the key figures in the development of modern French art.
